University of Maine School of Law

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 01.14.15

* In May 2014, we told our readers about the sad state of financial affairs for assistant district attorneys in Massachusetts -- they make less money than courthouse janitors. Now is the state finally being encouraged to do something about it. [Boston Globe] * The University of Maine School of Law is one of 74 law schools to drop its application fee in the hope of enticing more students to apply. Do these schools legitimately believe it's the fee that's keeping students away? [Bangor Daily News] * Partners at Bingham McCutchen, the latest Biglaw firm to flop, claim they knew that the end was near about one year ago, when their managing partner informed them that the firm would "active[ly] wait" for money to appear. Yeah... [American Lawyer] * The fraud trial for former members of Dewey & LeBoeuf's top brass was pushed back to April because Joel Sanders hired a new defense attorney. Apparently he had some "irreconcilable differences" with his former counsel. [New York Law Journal] * The California Commission on Access to Justice plans to launch a legal incubator program. This will help low-income individuals in need of legal services, and the low-income law grads struggling to put their degrees to work. [National Law Journal]

By Staci Zaretsky
Airplanes / Aviation

Morning Docket: 06.06.14

* Federal judges frequently fly across the globe on other people’s dime for conferences and symposia, but 2012′s most frequent flyer is a judge who was recently embroiled in an ethics scandal: Randall Rader of the Federal Circuit. [National Law Journal] * Even though she claims nothing is “fundamentally broken,” Securities and Exchange Commission chairwoman Mary Jo White proposed “sweeping” new stock market regulations in an attempt to get with the times. [DealBook / New York Times] * U. of Maine wants to combine its business and law schools, but professors are concerned about pressing questions like, “What will the diploma say?” rather than, “Do I get to keep my job?” [Portland Press Herald] * Law schools are seen as cash cows for their affiliated undergraduate universities, but this law school is hurting so bad for cash due to low enrollment the university is infusing it with millions. [Minnesota Daily] * A Pennsylvania man is suing his local police department for First Amendment violations after he was arrested for cursing in front of officers. N.W.A has a song this guy would like. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

By Staci Zaretsky